Is the Theatre Really Dead?
Kent Barker, HIP’s Arts Editor, asks how theatre provision in Hastings compares with some of the other arts.
We are forever hearing what a thriving artistic environment Hastings is. Yes, there are a lot of very good artists – particularly visual artists – who scratch a living – or more usually supplement another income – by producing works which they sell for under £500. Increasingly, as rents rise, they struggle to afford studio space. Materials are an increasingly significant cost. Framing often accounts for half the price of a work. Galleries, if they exhibit and sell through them, take a large percentage. It’s a tough world.
Yes, Hastings has a dozen or more nationally or even internationally admired painters, sculptors or engravers whose work can fetch thousands of pounds. But like their less affluent cousins, the costs or production still significantly eat into any profit. One renowned painter told me recently about crating up their work and transporting it to China for an exhibition. Sales turned out to be unexpectedly poor and it all had to be brought back to the UK. However, a delay in transportation meant thousands of pounds worth of works were stranded in a warehouse for months on end.
What do seem to be thriving are the galleries and exhibition spaces in the town. Well, even if not thriving, at least surviving. One website puts the number at a suspiciously round figure of 50. But if you take all the pubs and cafes that have art for sale on their walls, it could be around that. Photography too is omni-present with galleries, exhibitions and even festivals devoted to the form. How much actually sells is another question entirely.
So, we are agreed, a lot of Fine Art is being produced and a certain amount of it sold in Hastings, St Leonards, Rye and surrounding areas. But other artistic endeavour is either absent or much less visible. Theatre is a good example. How many actors, playwrights, directors or producers do you know? And what about the venues? The White Rock may keep its commercial head above water, but it’s generally criticised for bland and safe ‘out of town’ or touring productions. The Stables Theatre throws up gems, but some argue the largely amateur home-grown productions tend to coalesce around ‘old school’ whodunnits, or Rattigan-era class-divide drama? But at least it’s still open, unlike Opus Theatre or St Mary in the Castle. Two priceless venues that the Borough Council and the Arts Council seemed unwilling or unable to save from closure. And where are the upstairs or backroom or street theatre companies? With the exception of the indefatigable John Knowles and his Fetch Theatre, Patrick Kealey’s Theatre Nation and Gail Borrow’s Explore the Arch, they seem almost entirely absent. So, in this issue we devote most of the arts pages to looking at the state of theatre in and around the town. If you wonder why there are no contributions from the White Rock Theatre, or the Hastings Borough Councillor with responsibility for the arts, it’s because they didn’t respond to our invitation. But we would like to know what you think.
Do email us your comments at: [email protected]
Feature List:
Programming Juggling Act, Neil Sellman, chair of the Stables Theatre.
In a Room Somewhere, Patrick Kealy, director of Theatre Nation.
Shakespeare-on-Sea, John Knowles, actor, director, producer and founder of Fetch Theatre.
We Have the Talent, Matt Hastings, actor.
HIP also spoke with Gail Borrow of multi-disciplinary collective ExploreTheArch.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. The future of our volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. You can also support local journalism by becoming a friend of HIP. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.
Leave a Reply